Scopogonalia amazonensis Leal & Creão-Duarte, 2016

Leal, Afonso Henrique, Creão-Duarte, Antonio José & Mejdalani, Gabriel, 2016, Taxonomic review of Scopogonalia Young, 1977 (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellini) with description of six new species, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 50 (23), pp. 1513-1542 : 1529-1531

Scopogonalia amazonensis Leal & Creão-Duarte sp. nov.

Diagnosis

Green sharpshooters, crown and anterior third of pronotum yellow; aedeagus with two small semi-fused dentiform processes on ventral portion: one subapical and one apical, and pair of wing-shaped processes on dorsoapical portion.

Comment

The presence of the subapical dentiform process is a homoplastic autapomorphy of S. amazonensis sp. nov. shared with S. subolivacea , S. osteiphera sp. nov. and S. oglobini , whereas the pair of wing-shaped processes of the aedeagus is a homoplastic autapomorphy of S. amazonensis sp. nov. shared with S. subolivacea ( Leal 2014) .

Type locality. Itacoatiara, Amazonas state, Brazil.

Length. Male holotype, 5.7 mm. Male paratypes, 5.0– 5.9 mm; female paratypes, 6.0 mm.

External morphology

Head ( Figure 6A ) moderately produced anteriorly, median length of crown approximately 1/2 interocular width and 1/3 transocular width; anterior margin narrowly rounded in dorsal view; ocelli located behind anterior eye angles, each closer to adjacent anterior eye angle than to median line of crown, situated at pair of slight concavities. Pronotum ( Figure 6A ) with width approximately equal to transocular width; lateral margins convergent anteriorly; dorsopleural carinae incomplete, not attaining eyes, oblique. Fore wings ( Figure 6A ) opaque, membrane including all of apical cells, extending anteriorly along costal margin as far as basal half of wing. Hind legs with length of first tarsomere greater than combined length of two more distal ones.

Coloration

Background colour of crown, anterior third of pronotum, and mesonotum greenish-yellow, remainder of dorsum green ( Figure 6A ). Crown with round green maculae on and around ocelli ( Figure 6A ). Ventral region of body yellow; tergum of abdomen dark brown to black.

Male genitalia

Pygofer ( Figure 6B ), in lateral view, moderately produced posteriorly; dorsal margin slightly concave; posterodorsal margin broadly convex; apex acute; process arising from ventral margin and extending posterodorsally as far as apex of pygofer. Subgenital plates ( Figure 6C ) not extending posteriorly as far as apex of pygofer, gradually tapered towards apex; macrosetae uniseriate along outer margins. Styles ( Figure 6D ) slender, without preapical lobe, strongly curved. Connective ( Figure 6D ) Y-shaped. Aedeagus ( Figure 6E ), in lateral view, directed posterodorsally, with two tiny semi-fused dentiform processes on ventral portion, larger subapical one and smaller apical one, and pair of wing-shaped processes on dorsoapical portion ( Figure 6E–F ). Paraphyses ( Figure 6E ) paired, extending below aedeagus, with rami curved dorsally, not attaining aedeagus.

Female genitalia

Abdominal sternite VII ( Figure 6G ) longer than wide, lateral margins parallel, tapering near apex; posterior margin with concavity. Valvulae II ( Figure 6H ) expanded beyond basal curvature and gradually tapered towards acute apex; dorsal margin approximately rectilinear and parallel to ventral margin; preapical prominence distinct; teeth of basal and median portions inclined trapezoid ( Figure 11H ), becoming triangular towards apex ( Figure 11I ); first ones with flat posterior area, which becomes gradually smaller towards apex, where it is absent; denticles on all teeth and on apical portion; ventral dentate apical portion greater than dorsal one ( Figure 11J ).

Etymology

The species epithet, amazonensis , refers to the Amazon region, where the specimens were found.

Type material

Holotype: male, ‘Brasil-AM [Amazonas state]/ Itacoatiara \ Madeireira MIL, 024510S \583911W, 29–30.xi.2005 \ Luminosa móvel, J. A.\ Rafael, R. J. Machado &\ A. Silva Filho leg.’ ( INPA) . Paratypes: three males ( INPA) with the same data as holotype; one male and two females: ‘ Rio Branco-AC [Acre state]\ 12-Jan-2004 \ Albuquerque, E .S.’ ( DZUP).

Comment

Apparently, Young (1977, fig. 435) based on specimens of S. amazonensis his interpretation of S. subolivacea from Chanchamayo, Peru. The paratypes from Acre state have the pronotum almost completely yellow, with the posterior part light green. The fore wings also present a less intense tonality of green than the specimens from Amazonas do. However, the comparison of the male genitalia of specimens from both states support the hypothesis that they belong to the same species.

Comparative notes

This species resembles S. subolivacea , but differs from the latter by the small and semifused dentiform processes of the ventral aedeagal portion ( Figure 6E ) and by the narrower wing-shaped lateral processes ( Figure 6E–F ). The rami of the paraphyses are also longer in the new species than in S. subolivacea ( Figure 6E ).

Figures

Figure 6. Scopogonalia amazonensis sp. nov. (A) Dorsal habitus; (B) male pygofer, lateral view; (C) valve and subgenital plates, ventral view; (D) styles and connective, dorsal view; (E) aedeagus and paraphyses, lateral view; (F) apex of aedeagus, ventral view; (G) female abdominal sternite VII, ventral view; (H) valvula II of ovipositor, lateral view. Scale bars: A = 1.0 mm; B–D = 0.5 mm; E = 0.25 mm; F = 0.13 mm; G–H = 0.5 mm.

Figure 11. Scopogonalia osteiphera sp. nov. (A) Dorsal habitus; (B) male pygofer, lateral view; (C) valve and subgenital plates, ventral view; (D) styles and connective, dorsal view; (E) anal tube, aedeagus and paraphyses, lateral view; (F) abdominal sternite VII, ventral view; (G–J) valvula II of ovipositor: (G) lateral view; (H) tooth at median portion; (I) teeth at apical portion; (J) apex. PT, primary tooth; DT, denticle; DM, dorsal margin and VM, ventral margin of dentate apical area. Scale bars: A = 1.0 mm; B–G = 0.5 mm.